Automobile stop-signal switch box and attaching means therefor



A. R. P. JOHNSON Jan 6, i531,

AUTOMOBILE STOP SIGNAL SWITCH BGX AND ATTACHING MEANS THEREFOR Filed July 25, 1927 //VV[/V7',UR

RR}? JOHNSON.

BY ATTORNEY).

I rest upon the shoulder 9.

Patented Jan. 6,1931

UNITED STATES ALLAN ROLANDPYE JOHNSON, or rononro, ONTARIO, CANADA.

AUTOMOBILE STOP-SIGNAL SWITCH BOX AND A TTACI-IING MEANS THEREFOR v Application filed July 25, 1927. Serial'No; 208,308.

will bear squarely against the lower face of the foot board, and it consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Fig. 1 is a perspective'view of a portion of a foot board and brake lever and'my switch box applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the switch box and brake lever in the normal position 9 and showing diagrammatically the c1rcu1t vided with the usual slot 2. 3 is a brakelever,

of usual construction. 4 is an arm provided with a portion 4" straddling over the brake lever. 5 isa clip plate provided with aportion 5 straddling the opposite side of the brake lever, the portions 4 and 5 being connected together by securing bolts 6 and an upwardly extending portion 8 having an orifice 8". v i

9 is the body of my switch box which is provided at its upper edge with an enlarged internally threaded portion 9 forming a shoulder 9. 10 is an orifice formed in the bottom of the casing body 9 centrally thereof. 11 is a disc of fibre or other suitable insulating mate-f rial which fits within the internally threaded enlarged portion 9 of the casing body so as to 12 and 13 are contact screws, the heads of which bear against the lowerface of the disc 9 and provided at their upper ends with nuts 13 securing the terminal clips 14 to the contact screws. 15

and 16 are lead wires which are connected by the clips 14 to the contact screws'12 and 13,

one of the lead wires 16 leading to the battery 18 and the other lead wire 15 to one terminal of the light-source of the stop light casing 20. 21 is a wire'leading from the other terminal of the light source to theother terminal of the battery 18.

. It will, therefore, be seen that all it is necessary to do to make the circuit through the light source ofthe'stop light indicator is to bridge the contact screws 12 and 13. V

22'is the coverof my stop light switch box 1 provided with a reduced externally threaded portion 23 which isscrewed into the internally threaded portion 9 so as to bear upon the outer edge portionof the disc 11, and thereby firmly hold it in position. The wall of the be readily inserted before the cover member 22 is screwed into-position, and thereby avoiding "the" necessity of "threading the lead wires through an'orifice to pass them to their point of attachment. The cover member 22 is providedwithj a central orifice 25, in vertical alignment with the orifice 10.

26 is 'a"plunger-which 'slidablyextends through an orifice 27in the-disc 9 and is provided at its lower end with; a reduced portion28 fitting the orifice '10' 'and'at. its upper end with a head 29which normally bears againstthe lower face ofthejfoot board 1 as clearly indicated in Figures 1 and 2. '36 is The inner end of the arm 4 is provided with a fibre disc providedj'with a central orifice 31and side orifices 32 and 33 which are in 'dia'm'etr'ic alignment. 34 is a metallic contact ring fitted upon thefupper face of the through the orifices 32and 33, the extremities of thetongue being'then bent outward, as indicated at 37 -and 38 to bearagainst the lower face of the disc 30 and thereby securely hold 1 the contact ring 34 in position. 39 is a conical spring surrounding the reduced portion 28 of theplunger 26 and bearing at its lower ends-against the bottom'of the switch box cover 22 is provided with an open ended slot 24 intd which the" lead wires 15 and 16 may body and at its upper end against the central portion of the disc around the orifice 31. is a threaded stem extending from the switch box body 9 through the orifice 8" of the arm 4 and provided with a securing nut 41.

By loosening the nut 41 the switch box may be turned to any desired position so that the plunger 26 will be directly at right angles to the lower face of the foot board 1 independently of the position or set of that portion of the brake lever to which my switch box is attached. 7

It will be readily seen that when the foot brake lever 3 is depressed in the usual manner my switch box will be carried downward and the head 29 of the plunger away from the opposing face of the foot board 1 so as to permit the spring 39 to force the plunger and the disc 30 and contact ring 3 L carried :hereby upward so that such contact ring will be brought into engagement with the contact screws 12 and 13 and thereby forming a bridging connection therebetween so as to close the circuit.

when the foot brake is released the opposite operation takes place, that is as the brake lever swings upward the head 29 of the plunger 26 is brought into engagement with the foot board and is thereby depressed against the pressure of the spring 39, thereby ALLAN ROLAND PYE JOHNSON.

carrying the disc 30 and contact ring 34 downward so as to break the connection between the contact screws 12 and 13.

From this description it'will be seen that l have devised a stop light switch box which may be operated without the employment of any springs which are drawn into spring tension and thereby liable to become distorted, preventing the operation of the switch box to open and close the circuit by breaking the contact connections, and at the same time I devise a switch box which may be readily adjusted to suit the form of brake lever and location of the foot board with which it 1 coacts, and which may be readily applied to any form of brake lever, the arm of which extends either in a substantially horizontal or substantially vertical direction.

lVhat I claim as my invention istj- In a stop light switch box, the combination with a supporting bracket, of a casing body formed with an interiorly threaded upper portion terminating in an annular internal shoulder, a cover screw in the body portion and having a central orifice, a plunger extending through the orifice having a reduced lower end, an annular insulating washer mounted upon the upper portion of the plunger within the casing to fit at its edges between the shoulder of the casing body and the cover, terminal contact screws mounted in the annularinsulating washer, anannular contact washer fitting the lower portion of the plunger having an annular contact surface on its upper face engag ng the aforesaid 1 

